Emails: Kustra told Big East that NBC wanted Boise State football games

Boise State President Bob Kustra and attorney Joel Lulla, who worked for the Broncos, pressured the Big East throughout late December as the Broncos weighed offers from the Mountain West and the Big East, according to emails obtained by CBSSports.com.

The emails, obtained from Big East member Cincinnati, also indicate that Kustra told Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco that NBC was interested in a three-game television deal built around Notre Dame games.

The emails indicate that Kustra and the Broncos were attempting to get the Big East to allow them to sell the rights to their home football games. The Mountain West agreed to do so — putting Boise State home games in a separate television package from their current deal — and the Broncos returned to the league.

Boise State was scheduled to join the Big East in July in a football. The Broncos would have joined the Big West in other sports.

I wrote a long story about the behind-the-scenes details of how the Broncos ended up staying in the Mountain West in January.

Sports columnist Brian Murphy writes about all sports in the Treasure Valley with a concentration on Boise State football and men's basketball. Murph has been with the Statesman since 2005. You can follow him on Twitter @MurphsTurph.